Printing of textile pieces



United States Patent Ofllice 2,719,101 Patented Sept. 27, 1955 PRINTING F TEXTILE PIECES Adolf Koebner,

Davyhulme, Urrnston,

England, assignor to Lankro Chemicals Ltd., Manchester, England, a corporation of Great Britain No Drawing. Application November 24, 1951,

Serial No. 258,099

Claims priority, application Great Britain December 27, 1950 9 Claims. or. 154-449 This invention relates to improvements in or relating to the printing of textiles.

In screen printing the pieces to be printed are spread out full-length on long tables and fastened to the table surface. The oldest method, ing the table first cotton (backgrey) with pins.

and

This fastening can be done in difierent ways. ich is still in use, consists in coverwith a felt and then with a piece of then fixing the goods to be printed Alternatively the pieces and backgrey are stuck together on a separate machine by using a watersoluble gum The method, however, most commonly used today is as follows:

The tables are covered with a water-repellent material such as leathercloth or rubber-faced cotton.

solution of gum arabic, dextrin or other natural gum is evenly distributed rolled on and roller.

pressed a over the table; the piece is then gainst the table surface by a heavy This method is a substantial improvement over the original method described hereinbefore, but it has a number of disadvantages including the following:

1. It is necessary to wash the table printed and to renew the adhesive film.

is has penetrated the Color which piece sticks firmly to the table surface and the washing,

therefore, takes a considerable length of time. On the other hand, any color accidentally left on the table surface will soil the subsequent piece.

2. As both pasting gum and printing color are usually water-soluble, there will be a tendency for the piece to come off the table on the printed parts.

3. Some of the pasting gum adheres to the back of the piece and hinders The amount of gum the same all over the penetration of the printing color.

on the back of the piece will not be piece and, as it influences the shade obtained, there is always the danger of getting variations in shade, especially if big motives (blotches) are printed.

4. Color which penetrates the piece will combine with the gum on the table.

get through prints, i.

face and back of the p It is, therefore, very diflicult to e., equal printing results on the iece.

5. It is not easy to remove the last traces of the pasting gum from the piece.

the piece a harsh feel.

It is the These remnants of gums give principal object of the present invention to provide an improved textile printing process which overcomes the aforesaid disadvantages of the prior art practices.

Other objects, featu res and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the more detailed description which follows.

The present invention provides a method of printing textile pieces supported as in screen printing, affixed to the surface water-repellent adhesiv aliphatic methacrylate containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms or a copolymer of the said higher aliphatic methacrylate with a lower aliphatic acrylate or methacrylate derived from an aliphatic alcohol containing less than 6 carbon atoms.

The water-repellent adhesive can be applied to the surface of the table in solution in a volatile organic solvent, such as benzene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride or perchlorethylene, which evaporates after application. The solution may contain a second organic solvent or compatible substance which acts as an extender and/or plasticizer, for example cyclohexanol, cyclohexanone, butyl acetate, ethyl glycol acetate or butyl glycol or white spirits. White spirits or mineral spirits generally designate petroleum distillate serving as hydrocarbon solvents substantially all of which vaporizes between and 200 C.

Alternatively the water-repellent adhesive can be applied in the form of an aqueous emulsion, which gives a continuous, tacky film on evaporation of the water.

The polymeric adhesive provides a permanently tacky surface, so that many pieces can be printed without renewing the adhesive film. As the film of adhesive is water-repellent, substantially no printing color sticks to the table and the washing of the table is greatly facilitated.

The printing color does not interfere with the waterrepellent adhesive and no loosening of the adherenceof the textile materials occurs during printing.

No traces of the adhesive can be found on the back of the piece and thus there is no danger of vairation in shade.

As the water-repellent adhesive does not accept any printing color, all the color applied to the fabric is held by the printed material and perfect through-prints are obtained with a saving of color.

Thefeel or hand of the printed the method of this invention.

The following examples, in which the parts are expressed in parts by weight, constitute illustrative embodiments of the present invention.

pieces is not affected by Example 1 One to 2 parts of benzoyl peroxide are added to a solution of 2-ethyl hexyl methacrylate 30 parts) in benzene (70 parts), and the mixture refluxed until the desired viscosity of the solution is obtained. The necessary refiuxing requires 1 to 4 hours. Then 1 part of cyclohexanol is added to the solution. A coating of resultant solution is applied to the surface of a printing table and dries to a permanent, continuous, tacky, water-repellent film. A textile piece is aflixed to the water-repellent film and screen-printed in the conventional manner.

Example 2 n-Hexyl methacrylate is polymerized in Zene solution, while adding gradually 5% to the surface of a printing table and dries to a permanent, continuous, tacky, water-repellent film to which a textile piece is affixed and screen-printed in the conventional manner.

' Example 3 Thirty parts of 2-ethyl hexyl methacrylate monomer are emulsified in 70 parts of water by the addition of 1 part sodium lauryl sulphate, the mixture stirred at 70 C. and 1 part of ammonium persulphate added. Polyhours. The resultant emulmerization is complete after 3 of a printing table and dries sion is applied to the surface to a permanent, continuous, tacky, water-repellent film to which a textile piece is aflixed and screen-printed in the conventional manner.

The foregoing description constituting illustrative embodiments of the invention is not to be considered a limitation upon the invention, for the invention contemplates various adaptations, alterations and modifications which would occur to those skilled in the art and would still be within the scope of the invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In the printing of textiles wherein the textile material is supported by being affixed to the surface of a table during printing, the improvement comprising bonding the textile material to the table with a permanently tacky, water-repellent polymer selected from the group consisting of a polymer of an ester of methacrylic acid with a high aliphatic alcohol containing 6 to 12 carbon atoms and copolymers of said ester with an ester of .an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid with a lower aliphatic alcohol containing less than 6 carbon atoms.

2. In the printing of textiles wherein the textile material is supported by being aifixed to the surface of a table during printing, the improvement comprising applying to the surface of the table a coating containing an acrylic polymer selected from the group consisting of a polymer of an ester of methacrylic acid with a higher aliphatic alcohol containing 6 to 12 carbon atoms and copolymers of said ester with an ester of an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid with a lower aliphatic alcohol containing less than 6 carbon atoms dispersed in a volatile organic solvent, and

after the coating has dried to a permanently tacky, waterrepellent film, affixing the textile material to the table through the bonding action of said dried coating.

3. In the printing of textiles wherein the textile material is suported by being affixed to the surface of a table during printing, the improvement comprising applying to the surface of the table a coating containing an acrylic polymer selected from the group consisting of a polymer of an ester of methacrylic acid with a higher aliphatic alcohol containing 6 to 12 carbon atoms and copolymers of said ester with an ester of an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid with a lower aliphatic alcohol containing less than 6 carbon atoms dissolved in benzene, and after the coating has dried to a permanently tacky, water-repellent film, affixing the textile material to the table through the bonding action of said dried coating.

4. In the printing of textiles wherein the textile material is supported by being aflixed to the surface of a table during printing, the improvement comprising applying to the surface of the table a coating containing an acrylic polymer selected from the group consisting of a polymer of an ester of methacrylic acid with a higher aliphatic alcohol containing 6 to 12 carbon atoms and copolymers of said ester with an ester of an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid with a lower aliphatic alcohol containing less than 6 carbon atoms and an extender for the acrylic polymer dispersed in a volatile organic solvent, and after the coating has dried to a permanently tacky, water-repellent film, afiixing the textile material to the table through the bonding action of said dried coating.

5. In the printing of textiles wherein the textile material is supported by being afiixed to the surface of a table during printing, the improvement comprising applying to the surface of the table a coating containing an acrylic polymer selected from the group consisting of a polymer ofan ester of methacrylic acid with a higher aliphatic alcohol containing 6 to 12 carbon atoms and copolymers of said ester with an ester of an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid with a lower aliphatic alcohol containing less than 6 carbon atoms and cyclohexanol dissolved in benzene, and after the coating has dried to a permanently tacky, waterrepellent film, affixing the textile material to the table through the bonding action of said dried coating.

6. In the printing of textiles wherein the textile material is supported by being affixed to the surface of a table during printing, the improvement comprising applying to the surface of the table a coating of an aqueous dispersion containing an acrylic polymer selected from the group consisting of a polymer of an ester of methacrylic acid with a higher aliphatic alcohol containing 6 to 12 carbon atoms and copolymers of said ester with an ester of an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid with a lower aliphatic alcohol containing less than 6 carbon atoms, and after the coating has dried to a permanently tacky, water-repellent film, affixing the textile material to the table through the bonding action of said dried coating.

7. In the printing of textiles wherein the textile material is supported by being affixed to the surface of a table during printing, the improvement comprising bonding the textile material to the table with a permanently tacky, water-repellent polymer of 2-ethyl hexyl methacrylate.

8. In the printing of textiles wherein the textile material is supported by being affixed to the surface of a table during printing, the improvement comprising bonding the textile material to the table with a permanently tacky, water-repellent copolymer of n-hexyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate.

9. In the printing of textiles wherein the textile material is supported by being affixed to the surface of a table during printing, the improvement comprising applying to the surface of the table a coating containing an acrylic polymer selected from the group consisting of a polymer of an ester of methacrylic acid with a higher aliphatic alcohol containing 6 to 12 carbon atoms and copolymers of said ester with an ester of an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid with a lower aliphatic alcohol containing less than 6 carbon atoms dispersed in a hydrocarbon solvent having a boiling range between 160 and 200 C., and after the coating has dried to a permanently tacky, water-repellent film, affixing the textile material to the table through the bonding action of said dried coating.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Resins, April 1939, pages 382-387. 

1. IN THE PRINTING OF TEXTILES WHEREIN THE TEXTILE MATERIAL IS SUPPORTED BY BEING AFFIXED TO THE SURFACE OF A TABLE DURING PRINTING, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING BONDING THE TEXTILE MATERIAL TO THE TABLE WITH A PERMANENTLY TACKY, WATER-REPELLENT POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A POLYMER OF AN ESTER OF METHACRYLIC ACID WITH A HIGH ALIPHATIC ALCOHOL CONTAINING 6 TO 12 CARBON ATOMS AND COPOLYMERS OF SAID ESTER WITH AN ESTER OF AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLIC ACID AND METHACRYLIC ACID WITH A LOWER ALIPHATIC ALCOHOL CONTAINING LESS THAN 6 CARBON ATOMS. 